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Hi All...The six queens I ordered came in the mail today. They were given a quick drink and left in the house covered to prevent drafts. The weather is predicted to be rainy, cool, (hi 40's) and overall not nice until Sunday, (maybe mid 50's). So, I would need to dispense with the old queens Sunday morning and hopefully install Sunday P.M. What is the best method to store these queens until Sunday P.M. Can they hang out in the house or should I try to bank them? I have only read about banking but have never tried it. Well, I tried it once and lost them after 3 days. I'd be pleased to hear what others have done is this situation.

Can you find your queens fast in cold air? Why are you replacing all of them? I am using my queens in splits. They seem to draw out new foundation fast as I feed heavy and they make a nice crop of honey. If your old hives are strong I would not replace them.

I expect you could keep queens inside in normal living conditions until it was warmer.

I like to re-queen all the weak hives. 11 of 15 hives came through the winter but five of them are weak and are just not building up fast enough. Of course you place your order in later winter so you really have to guess what your going to end up with come spring. I've re-queened right after killing the old queen and I have waited as long as 3 days. So, Im guessing that 12 hours is enough. I read somewhere that a hive needs about 3 to 6 hours to realize they are queenless. Anyway, any suggestions on how to keep them going until better weather gets here?

I like to re-queen all the weak hives. 11 of 15 hives came through the winter but five of them are weak and are just not building up fast enough. Of course you place your order in later winter so you really have to guess what your going to end up with come spring. I've re-queened right after killing the old queen and I have waited as long as 3 days. So, Im guessing that 12 hours is enough. I read somewhere that a hive needs about 3 to 6 hours to realize they are queenless. Anyway, any suggestions on how to keep them going until better weather gets here?

&gt;What is the best method to store these queens until Sunday P.M. Can they hang out in the house or should I try to bank them?

Put them in a warm, dry dark place and give them a drop of water three times a day and they will be fine for a few days or even a week. A good indication that you are running out of time is when the attendants start to croak. If you get down to two attendants you better do something with them.

Can you find your queens fast in cold air? Why are you replacing all of them? I am using my queens in splits. They seem to draw out new foundation fast as I feed heavy and they make a nice crop of honey. If your old hives are strong I would not replace them.
I expect you could keep queens inside in normal living conditions until it was warmer.

&gt;How long should they be queenless? Is 12 hours enough?

I always try for overnight, myself. Seems like in the still quiet dark they figure it out quickly. Jay Smith (famous queen producer and author) said it only takes them two hours in a swarm box in the basement in the dark. I usually take the queen out one afternoon and requeen the next morning.

Good idea, a fresh queen can turn that weak wintered hive into a late boomer.,.

&gt;&gt;Can they hang out in the house or should I try to bank them?

I dont colony bank queens very often, I do occasionaly. I get my queens by the box full and they are well looked after by the attendant bees in the box until I am ready for them.
To colony bank your queens, you must rid of your attendent bees in the cage. Seems to aggitate the colony more. Simply place the queens on the top bars screen down, and close up the hive till you need them. Never seems to matter if a queen is laying, from my experience anyway.
Probably too late for any advice, but this is my two cents anyway...
Ian

Oh, one more thing.,
When queening a split, it is best not to use too much smoke. Spray a mist of sugar water on the bees as you open the top. This will stop the bees from flying and allow you to place the queen in without them knowing any different. I dont like to stir the colony up too much when introducing queens...